39 Learning Alchemy

I left the magic academy and walked through the town's streets, making my way to Old Man's shop. I noticed some players on the side of the streets selling items in stalls or with things just laid out on the ground. Seeing all this reminded me of my goal of making money in the game. Although, I guess I did technically make a lot of money with the game just recently. I do still want to sell things to other players as I still want to experience that.

I finally arrived at Old Man's shop and walked through the door, followed by the familiar sound of the bell. Inside I saw a few players buying some ingredients from Old Man. I gave him a quick wave and walked to the back of his shop to make a few potions while waiting for him.

I made a couple potions before Old Man entered the back area. He picked up one of my potions and examined it briefly before placing it back down.

"Very good. There are some imperfections, but nothing that can't be improved. I noticed the consistency was slightly off, but you did well."

"Thank you. I came here today to learn about alchemy. I learned some magic as you requested."

"Ah! So, you've come to learn alchemy, have you? Do you remember our previous lesson?"

I walk over to the alchemy table from the previous lesson. This time having learned magic. Old Man poured some dirt in the center of the magic circle just like last time.

"Normally, you would need to create your own transmutation circle with the proper symbols, but I already have this one, so I will teach you the process first."

Following his instructions, I placed my hands on the two transfer points and poured my mana into the circle. The process was reasonably quick. There was a flash of light. It looked like the pile of dirt had melted and reformed into a rock.

"Whoa! That was kind of cool." I said as I picked up the rock and started to examine it.

"Congratulations. You have taken your first steps into becoming an alchemist. This was easy, though, as I had already built the circle for you. The real challenge now is to build your own. To do so, you need to learn the various runes and gain a deeper understanding of their meaning and placement."

Old Man walked to one of the many bookshelves, and after a moment of searching, he pulled a few books out and walked back to me.

"I know you won't always be around for me to teach you, so I want you to have these. These books contain some of my notes and early works regarding my works. It can be thought of as a beginner's guide of sorts. Once you feel confident with that level, come back to see me. I can teach you more, and I will also teach you enchantment."

Old Man handed me the old leather-bound books. I flipped through the pages and saw various notes inside explaining the structure of different magic circles, an in-depth explanation of other runes, and various recipes for various potions. I spent most of the day learning the various runes for alchemy, jotting down my notes.

You have learned a new skill!

Alchemy [Rank E] (Active) Able to create grade E items (15 MP/Use).

Several hours had gone by before I noticed it was getting late. I packed up my notes to get ready to log off.

"It's getting late, and I need to get going now. Thanks for the lessons, Old Man. I won't likely come tomorrow as I plan to travel to the capital. Oh, that reminds me, Leena says hello."

"That troublemaker is still here? Send her my regards, and I will see you again later. Ah! Before I forget, I have something for you too."

Old Man turns and walks to a nearby chest and starts to rummage around in it. He pulls out an object wrapped in a cloth.

"It's dangerous to go alone! Take this."

Old Man unwrapped the object, which revealed a sword that looked well taken care of. I could see my reflection in the blade.

"This was an old sword I used when I traveled back in my younger days. You can have it now."

You received item:

100% Totally Normal Sword

Damage: Yes

STR +Yes

Durability: More than Yes

I am gobsmacked by how ridiculous everything about this sword is. First is the name; it is just an ordinary sword, or someone is messing with me. It's very suspicious. Second, those stats don't even make sense. It adds plus yes to my damage? What about the STR? Everything is just yes. Has it always been? I didn't think so? I quickly store it in my inventory to deal with it later.

"Thank you for the gift. I don't know when I will return, but I will continue practicing what you taught me. Take care of yourself." I said while waving. I left the old shop and walked to the inn to log out.

I am relieved once I see my pod door opening. Glad to know I am not stuck in the game again. I get out of the pod and throw on an oversized t-shirt I sometimes use to sleep in. I make my way into the kitchen to prepare dinner. I decided to splurge a bit, considering the amount of money coming to us. So I used some better ingredients and wanted to make something more extravagant.

I looked at the time and saw it was just a bit after 5pm. I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my notifications; I should also replace this antique as soon as possible. Seeing a voice message from Yuki's school, I opened it to listen to it.

"Hello, Ms. Allen. This is Leo Leonard, Yuki's principal. I would like to speak with you about your daughter's suspension. I am available in the office until six during the weekdays. I would like to hear back from you when you get the chance."

I look at the time and see it is not quite six o'clock. I dial the number for the school, and after a few rings, there is an answer.

"This is principal Leo speaking."

I shift the phone to my left ear as I continue cooking while talking.

"Yes, hello. This is Sarah, Yuki's mother. Calling in response to your earlier message." I said while stirring a pot of noodles.

"Of course. There was a petition by the other students' parents to reduce the suspension time. After some discussion, we agreed they would be allowed back in school, stipulating that they submit a two-page essay on their actions and consequences. Yuki can return to school starting Monday with her report due by Friday end of the day.

I search the cupboards for a pasta drainer while speaking, trying not to make too much noise.

"I'm sure she will be happy to hear that. Now she can spend the last two and a half months in school."

"I did consider not letting them walk during the graduation. After talking to the other parents, we agreed that this was their only first major offense. They all had good grades, so I scrapped that idea. Do you have any questions or concerns for me?"

"No, I am good. I'll let Yuki know."

We gave our goodbyes, and I hung up the phone. I finished making dinner just as Yuki came downstairs. Yuki grabbed some plates and set the table for us as I brought dinner to the table.

"Thanks for the food, mom. After my last quest, I need a good meal."

I gave her a chuckle as I sat down and served myself a nice portion of food. "That tough, huh?" I said after taking a bite.

Yuki had to swallow before she could answer. "Yeah, had to help escort some fairy to her mom and fight off evil fairies. It was tough, but I managed it and got an orb from the Faery Queen. I can use that on my next rebirth."

"That sounds exciting. You going to change into a fairy then?"

"I don't know. If it is tiny like the fairy I escorted, then probably not, but if it was the size of the Faery Queen or had really good stats, then I might."

"What do you mean, have good stats?" I responded while reaching for another slice of garlic bread.

"Mom? Did you not look at the stats for any of the races?"

I could only shrug my shoulders as I didn't really pay attention to a lot of things when I made my character.

"I thought so. The starting races don't get a noticeable boost in their stats, as they are all about the same. Dwarves get a slight boost in STR, elves INT, etc. Humans get one extra attribute point at level 1 to put in any stat. So, for people who like to min/max, Humans are a viable option. But none of that matters in the end since it all depends on how you train your character in-game."

Since starting this game, I have picked up a bit of the lingo she uses, so it was easier to follow her conversation than in the past.

"I got some news for you, Yuki. Principal Leonard called and said you are good to start back at school on Monday."

Yuki looked up at me with a mouth full of noodles. She quickly slurped them up before dramatically falling off the chair.

"Nooooo! Why! I had all this free time for games, but now I have school again."

"Don't be so dramatic. It's only Thursday. You still have three more days before school and two and a half months before graduation. Then you will be free until you start college."

Yuki got up and sat back down, looking slightly depressed. "I suppose, but that doesn't leave a hole for gaming. How am I supposed to get cool superpowers in so little time?"

"Patience, young padawan," I said while laughing.

"Oh my god, mom! You just made a reference! Too bad those movies started to suck after episode twenty-four. The original nine were by far the best."

After dinner, we went to the living room and rewatched those old movies, or at least started the first one.